Top tech news stories today: April 18, 2024 is profiled by BTW Media because public-source evidence links it to internet infrastructure, governance, operational dependencies, or market visibility.

Discover the latest in technology trends and innovations shaping the future.

Fintech

1. MeWe social network boss says blockchain can solve the TikTok problem

MeWe chairman and CEO Jeffrey Edell recently penned an op-ed detailing how he believes the situation between the United States government and China’s TikTok could be avoided by implementing blockchain technologies. (Cointelegraph)

Internet governance

2. RIPE NCC Annual Report 2023 and RIPE NCC Financial Report 2023 published

The RIPE NCC Annual Report 2023 documents the activities of the RIPE NCC throughout the year. The RIPE NCC Financial Report 2023 accounts for the financial activities of the RIPE NCC during the same period. (RIPE NCC)

IT infrastructure

3. New Cadence supercomputers aim to speed creation of chips, software

Cadence Design Systems on Wednesday introduced the latest version of supercomputer based around a custom computing chip designed to speed up the creation of other computing chips and the software that will run on them. (Lumi News)

4. Semiconductor equipment maker ASML ships second ‘High NA’ EUV machine

ASML, the biggest supplier of equipment to computer chip makers, said on Wednesday said it has shipped one of its newest “High NA” EUV lithography systems to a second customer. (BEANSTART)

Tech trends

5. Google lays off employees, shifts some roles abroad amid cost cuts

Alphabet-owned Google is laying off an unspecified number of employees, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday, marking the latest cuts at the technology giant as it cracks down on costs. (Reuters)

6. Amazon to push cashierless shopping tech into more third-party stores, while backing off itself

Amazon.com said on Wednesday it plans to push its cashierless shopping technology into more third-party stores this year, even as it reduces its reliance on the technology in its own. (Reuters)

7. Telegram to hit one billion users within a year, founder says

Telegram, one of the world’s biggest social media networks, “will probably hit one billion active monthly users within the year”, according to the app’s billionaire founder Pavel Durov. “Telegram is spreading like forest fire,” said Mr Durov to US commentator Tucker Carlson on Tuesday. (Channel News Asia)

8. Social media platform X blocked in Pakistan over national security, ministry says

Pakistan’s interior ministry said on Wednesday it had blocked access to social media platform X around the time of February’s election on national security concerns, confirming a long-suspected shutdown. (Business Today)

9. Third-party iPhone app store AltStore PAL is now live in Europe

Altstore PAL is available only for residents in the EU as part of the Digital Markets Act ruling that Apple must allow third-party app stores. EU residents have a new app store. The first Apple-approved third-party app store, Altstore PAL, is available now for download in the EU. (The Verge)

10. TikTok to restrict users who repeatedly post problematic topics from ‘For You’ feed

TikTok will make entire accounts temporarily ineligible for its For You feed if users have a pattern of posting about extreme fitness, conspiracy theories, sexually suggestive material, and a wide range of other topics that the platform won’t promote on the feed. (Variety)

11. Turkey prepares bandwidth constraints on X

Turkey’s national regulator, the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) is reportedly planning to implement bandwidth restrictions on Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). (Capacity Media)

AI

12. Microsoft-OpenAI deal set to dodge formal EU merger probe, sources say

EU antitrust regulators have concluded that Microsoft’s $13 billion investment into OpenAI is not an acquisition, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, signalling the deal will avoid a formal European probe that could have led to onerous remedies for the U.S. tech giant. (Business Standard)

AR/VR

13. Vision Pro demos will soon include the option watch your own spatial videos before buying

Apple will soon allow users to upload their own spatial videos to Vision Pro demo units in hopes to really drive home the headset’s value proposition. (Road to VR)

IoT

14. The installed base of video telematics systems in North America and Europe to reach 15 million units by 2028

Berg Insight, the leading IoT market research provider, today released a new market study covering the video telematics market. (IoT Business News)

15. Air taxi company takes order for 50 flying vehicles

Electric aerial vehicle (EAV) maker Eve Air Mobility received an order for up to 50 of its eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicles from the largest helicopter air charter service in Japan. (IoT World Today)